Wheelchair Therapist

Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust; Cheltenham; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a dedicated team at Gloucestershire Wheelchair Assessment Service and help improve clients' mobility needs. This therapist role offers opportunities for growth with structured support and training, while delivering compassionate care across various environments. Enjoy a welcoming workplace culture and flexible working options.

Benefits

Free car parking at many of our sites

27 days leave plus bank holidays

Training and development opportunities

Generous NHS pension

Flexible working opportunities

Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes

Qualifications

• Post qualification experience as an Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist.
• Registered with HCPC.
• Valid UK driving licence required.

Responsibilities

• Conduct wheelchair and posture management assessments.
• Manage own caseload across various settings.
• Work with clients of all ages and disabilities.

Skills

Communication

Teamwork

Postural Care

Education

Degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy

Tools

Electronic patient record keeping systems

Job description

We love what we do and we think you will, too!

At Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust (GHC), we provide joined-up mental health, physical health and learning disability services to people of all ages across Gloucestershire. We run community hospitals and provide care and support in people’s own homes and in a range of other locations across the county .

We are on a mission to enable people to live the best life they can and we have a vision to work together to provide outstanding care . We put people at the heart of our services, focusing on personalised care by asking ‘what matters to you ’.

We’re passionate about making sure that everyone can contribute to achieving our mission and w e are continually working to support healthy and happy high-quality team s in all areas of the Trust .

Our application process aims to understand each candidates knowledge, skills and experience. We have found that candidates that use AI to generate their answers can lack specificity and fail to address key criteria outlined in the job description.

It is really important to personalise your application to convey your individual skills, knowledge, and experiences effectively and for us to understand why you are applying for this role with GHC. We discourage over reliance on AI-generated applications as it will lessen your chances of success in securing an interview with us .

Job overview

Gloucestershire Wheelchair Assessment Service is looking for a therapist to join our team who is keen to develop their skills around wheeled mobility equipment and postural management. If you’re successful we will provide you with the structured support and training you need to flourish.

We are a multi-disciplinary team providing a countywide service. We’re also in the unique position where we cover clients of any age. We’ve worked hard over the last couple of years to develop and innovate to ensure we provide a prompt, efficient and effective service for our clients, while also developing a friendly, kind and supportive team culture. We complete holistic assessments with our clients considering their mobility needs as part of the bigger picture of how they want to live their life and working with them to achieve their mobility goals.

If you’re proactive, keen to achieve the best with your patients and looking for a new opportunity this could be just the role for you.

There will be a practical element to the interview, therefore all interviews will be held face to face at the Independent Living Centre, Cheltenham.

Main duties of the job

You will carry your own caseload which will be a mixture of wheelchair and posture management assessments, working with service users eligible as medium/high/specialist need for the provision of wheeled mobility equipment (including pressure care cushions). The service is provided in a range of settings including clinics, home and educational environments and is county wide. We are an all age, all disability service so offer the unique opportunity to work with children and adults.

Our philosophy is to keep the patient at the heart of everything we do. We look for people who are willing to go the extra mile and are committed to being part of a team that delivers an excellent caring service to our patients. This is a countywide role and therefore the successful applicant must hold a full UK driving license and have access to a car for work purposes.

If you meet most but not all of the essential criteria and are keen to develop we could offer a Band 5 to 6 development role. If joining as band 5 we will work with you to meet all the objectives needed to progress you to the B6 role. You will be gradually introduced to a broader spectrum of cases in line with working towards the National Wheelchair Managers Forum Competency Framework. Our team will support you on throughout your journey to becoming a B6 Wheelchair Therapist within our team.

Working for our organisation

We have a skilled and dedicated workforce of over 5000 colleagues working in a diverse range of services over 55 sites and within people’s homes. We strive to enable a welcoming workplace culture that builds and celebrates civility, inclusivity and diversity, while providing a sense of belonging and trust.

Annual staff surveys, regular Pulse surveys and other engagement opportunities provide our people with lots of opportunity to tell us about their experiences of working with us. In the latest staff survey, 61% of colleagues gave us their views. It was great to hear that:

• 72% of colleagues would recommend the Trust as a place to work, ranking us 1st for Provider Trusts in the South West region on this question.
• 76% would recommend the standard of care provided in our services if a friend or relative needed treatment, also ranking us 1st in the South West region.
• 81% said that care of patients and service users is the Trust’s priority, compared with an average in comparable NHS Trusts in England of 64%.

This high-level overview shows we are in a healthy position, with higher scores than average for comparable organisations, alongside a great response rate, indicating good staff engagement. However, we also know we have plenty of room for improvement in many areas. To that end, we continue to prioritise and invest in our commitment to genuinely becoming a Great Place to Work with consistent top-quartile performance in the annual staff survey and Pulse surveys.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Gloucestershire Health and Care is committed to embedding and providing personalised care through all of its services as part of our high-quality care strategy. The purpose of personalised care is to empower people to lead the lives they want to live. Personalised care starts with a conversation with people about what matters to them. It builds on what people can do, as well as addressing their health needs. Including new ways of working and delivering care, emphasising that we need to make effective use of the full range of our people’s skills and experience to deliver the best possible patient care. So we want to know What Matters to You and that you will share our values and join us on this very important journey.

The qualification, training & experience requirements for the role are underlined in the Job Description/Person Specification.

Please refer to the Additional Information attachment before submitting your application.

Person specification

Skills and Knowledge

• Ability to work as a member of a multidisciplinary healthcare team
• Ability to communicate effectively with patients, carers, relatives and colleagues
• Experience of postural care and prevention of pressure sore skills.

Qualifications

• Degree or diploma in Occupational Therapy or Physiotherapy

Experience

• Post qualification experience as an Occupational Therapist or Physiotherapist
• Experience of working with wheelchair users
• Experience of using electronic patient record keeping systems
• Registered with HCPC
• Current valid UK driving licence

When joining us, as well as becoming part of a team that makes a difference, we also offer:

• Free car parking at many of our sites
• 27 days leave plus bank holidays, increasing up to 33 days with long service
• A broad range of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships up to Level 7 qualification.
• A multi-professional preceptorship programme for all Newly Qualified; Nurses, Nursing Associates, Internationally Educated Practitioners, Allied Health Professionals and Return to Practice Practitioners.
• Generous NHS pension and enhanced pay when if you work unsocial hours
• Flexible, family friendly and agile working opportunities
• Recognition and long service awards
• Fast Track physiotherapy
• Access to discounts and salary sacrifice schemes; including Cycle to Work, Car scheme and discounts on travel, leisure and retailers.

Applicants are advised to apply early as if a large number of applications are received for this post, we reserve the right to close the vacancy prior to the advertised date. Good luck with your application.

For more information please see the attached 'Additional Information for Applicants' document.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Name Sarah Griffiths Job title Clinical Lead Therapist Email address [e-mail] Telephone number 07500 993797 Additional information

We encourage contact by phone or email from interested candidates who are looking to find out more about this exciting role. We also welcome visits to our to our team at our base in Cheltenham.